Now in our second week of the conflict, we have seen continuing damage to both Israel and Iran, as well as direct US intervention which nonetheless seems to have caused limited damage to Fordow and little damage to Iran’s nuclear program. Regime change seems more elusive than ever, as even Iranians previously critical of the government now rally around it as they are attacked by two rabid imperialists at once. And Iran’s government is tentatively considering a withdrawal, or at minimum a reconsideration, of their membership to the IAEA and the NPT. And, of course, the Strait of Hormuz is still a tool in their arsenal.
A day or so on from the strike on Fordow, we have so far seen basically no change in strategy from the Iranian military as they continue to strike Israel with small barrages of missiles. Military analysts argue furiously - is this a deliberate strategy of steady attrition on Israel, or indicative of immense material constraints on Iran? Are the hits by Israel on real targets, or are they decoys? Does Iran wish to develop a nuke, or are they still hesitating? Will Iran and Yemen strike at US warships and bases in response to the attack, or will they merely continue striking only Israel?
And perhaps most importantly - will this conflict end diplomatically due to a lack of appetite for an extended war (to wit: not a peace but a 20 year armistice) or with Israel forced into major concessions including an end to their genocide? Or even with a total military/societal collapse of either side?
Last week’s thread is here. The Imperialism Reading Group is here.
Please check out the RedAtlas!
The bulletins site is here. Currently not used.
The RSS feed is here. Also currently not used.
Israel-Palestine Conflict
Sources on the fighting in Palestine against Israel. In general, CW for footage of battles, explosions, dead people, and so on:
UNRWA reports on Israel’s destruction and siege of Gaza and the West Bank.
English-language Palestinian Marxist-Leninist twitter account. Alt here.
English-language twitter account that collates news.
Arab-language twitter account with videos and images of fighting.
English-language (with some Arab retweets) Twitter account based in Lebanon. - Telegram is @IbnRiad.
English-language Palestinian Twitter account which reports on news from the Resistance Axis. - Telegram is @EyesOnSouth.
English-language Twitter account in the same group as the previous two. - Telegram here.
English-language PalestineResist telegram channel.
More telegram channels here for those interested.
Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Examples of Ukrainian Nazis and fascists
Examples of racism/euro-centrism during the Russia-Ukraine conflict
Sources:
Defense Politics Asia’s youtube channel and their map. Their youtube channel has substantially diminished in quality but the map is still useful.
Moon of Alabama, which tends to have interesting analysis. Avoid the comment section.
Understanding War and the Saker: reactionary sources that have occasional insights on the war.
Alexander Mercouris, who does daily videos on the conflict. While he is a reactionary and surrounds himself with likeminded people, his daily update videos are relatively brainworm-free and good if you don’t want to follow Russian telegram channels to get news. He also co-hosts The Duran, which is more explicitly conservative, racist, sexist, transphobic, anti-communist, etc when guests are invited on, but is just about tolerable when it’s just the two of them if you want a little more analysis.
Simplicius, who publishes on Substack. Like others, his political analysis should be soundly ignored, but his knowledge of weaponry and military strategy is generally quite good.
On the ground: Patrick Lancaster, an independent and very good journalist reporting in the warzone on the separatists’ side.
Unedited videos of Russian/Ukrainian press conferences and speeches.
Pro-Russian Telegram Channels:
Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.
https://t.me/aleksandr_skif ~ DPR’s former Defense Minister and Colonel in the DPR’s forces. Russian language.
https://t.me/Slavyangrad ~ A few different pro-Russian people gather frequent content for this channel (~100 posts per day), some socialist, but all socially reactionary. If you can only tolerate using one Russian telegram channel, I would recommend this one.
https://t.me/s/levigodman ~ Does daily update posts.
https://t.me/patricklancasternewstoday ~ Patrick Lancaster’s telegram channel.
https://t.me/gonzowarr ~ A big Russian commentator.
https://t.me/rybar ~ One of, if not the, biggest Russian telegram channels focussing on the war out there. Actually quite balanced, maybe even pessimistic about Russia. Produces interesting and useful maps.
https://t.me/epoddubny ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/boris_rozhin ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/mod_russia_en ~ Russian Ministry of Defense. Does daily, if rather bland updates on the number of Ukrainians killed, etc. The figures appear to be approximately accurate; if you want, reduce all numbers by 25% as a ‘propaganda tax’, if you don’t believe them. Does not cover everything, for obvious reasons, and virtually never details Russian losses.
https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses ~ Pro-Russian, documents abuses that Ukraine commits.
Pro-Ukraine Telegram Channels:
Almost every Western media outlet.
https://discord.gg/projectowl ~ Pro-Ukrainian OSINT Discord.
https://t.me/ice_inii ~ Alleged Ukrainian account with a rather cynical take on the entire thing.
the newsmega can have a little ‘is zohran mao or obama’ struggle session as a treat (such as in this subthread) but this is the world newsmega, not the electoralism-mega and so please limit zohran posting to a dull roar. things like zohran struggle sessions are literally exactly what c/electoralism was made for, not the news mega.
along the same lines, zionists and fascists are having a shitfit about zohran and yes it is funny, but let’s try to keep the newsmega to only the dankest of memes and the saltiest of zionist tears. we don’t need to hear about every DC think tankie pondering the orb with bill ackman.
Zohran Mamdani fucking won. I have so much to say and yet no words at all after busting my ass for months on this campaign. The vibes at this victory party are unfathomable. There is so much hate and pain in this world, but in this room, for the first time in a long time, I can feel a better future at our fingertips.
From the Cradle, Harvard study finds Israel ‘disappeared’ nearly 400,000 Palestinians in Gaza, half of them children: Report
A new report published by the Harvard database reveals that Israel has “disappeared” at least 377,000 Palestinians since the start of its genocidal campaign against the Gaza Strip in 2023.
Half of this number is believed to be Palestinian children.
The report was written by Israeli professor Yaakov Garb, who used data-driven analysis and spatial mapping to show how the Israeli army’s siege of Gaza and indiscriminate attacks on civilians in the enclave have led to a serious drop in its population.
The 377,000 Palestinians who are unaccounted for due to Israel’s genocide are approximately 17 percent of the Gaza Strip’s entire population, which now stands at about 1.85 million. Prior to the war in Gaza, the strip’s population was estimated at 2.227 million.
Christ
https://xcancel.com/yanisvaroufakis/status/1938607536887779553
@yanisvaroufakis
It seems that our rulers, here in the ‘liberal’ West, have homed in on a new way of turning a person into a non-person. Here is a man, Hüseyin Doğru, a German journalist (of Turkish origins, but not a dual citizen) whom the EU authorities have found a novel, immensely cruel, way of punishing for his coverage of, and views on, Palestine.
The German authorities learned a lesson from my case. Not wishing to be answerable in court for any ban on pro-Palestinian voices (similar to the court case I am dragging them through currently), they found another way: A direct sanction by the EU utilising some hitherto unused directive, one introduced at the beginning of the Ukraine war, that allows Brussels to sanction any citizen of the EU it deems to be working for Russian interests. Clinging to the argument that Hüseyin’s website/podcast used to be shown also on Ruptly (among other platforms), they are using this directive aimed at an ‘anti-Russian asset’ to destroy a journalist who dared oppose the Palestinian genocide.
In practice, this means that Hüseyin’s bank account is frozen; that if you or I were to give him cash to buy groceries or make rent then we would be considered his accomplices and subject to similar sanctions; it also means that if he were a civil servant, he would be fired; if he were a student he would be expelled from his university; if he received a pension it would be suspended; if he received any social benefit it would be frozen. It also, astonishingly, means that he cannot leave Germany! Last, but definitely not least, it means that Hüseyin cannot sue his government for turning him into a non-person but only challenge the European Commission in Brussels – where he is not even allowed to go!
Need I say more? Is it not abundantly clear that we live, today, in a nominally liberal Europe where, in a jiffy, your political and human rights can be rescinded, including your right to challenge your government in a court of law?
normal Western democracy hours
resistance ambush in gaza reportedly blew up a troop carrier and ambushed the rescue force, reported 5-8 dead 15 wounded IOF
Iran parliament votes to suspend cooperation with International Atomic Energy Agency
-Telegram, PressTV
A “Death to the IDF” chant at Glastonbury music festival was broadcast live on the BBC today
I still can’t believe we did it and Zohran won. I extra can’t believe we did it by straight up putting regime numbers on the scoreboard last night. We pulled >90% in some places
Now that the height of this campaigning season is over (for the time being), I am taking a (dare I say, well deserved?) break. If there’s enough interest here, I am considering writing a retrospective on the primary campaign from October until today (the day after the primary) sometime soonish. Thanks for all of the support folks
🇵🇸🇮🇷| Palestinian resistance groups have become stronger thanks to Iran’s attacks
In an article by Yedioth Ahronoth, it admits that Israeli forces have been weakened in the Gaza Strip and currently are on the defense rather than offense.
It says the Palestinian resistance are taking back momentum, especially in Khan Younis, as many Israeli brigades have been withdrawn from the Strip due to Iran’s attacks.
Gaza has regained strategic focus after Iran’s attacks, says the article.
@FotrosResistancee
This is why Iran can not give the entity status quo and peace. Peace is genocide
Do the libs in charge of foreign policy in Iran get it yet? Do they understand how demoralizing a ceasefire is to these brave soldiers?
When Trump’s sanctions in 2019 blocked insulin and other life-saving medicines from entering Venezuela—killing tens of thousands of Venezuelans—Iran intervened and bypassed the embargo. Venezuelans have not forgotten. Today, thousands took to the streets in solidarity with Iran.
Zionists are panicking now, because they’re now reckoning with the fact that bad faith antisemitism smears no longer work with Mamdani’s comfortable victory.
I thought it was a joke, but the CNBC guys really compared Zohran’s win to the Batman movie where Bain makes all the Wall Street guys walk on ice until they fall in.
[edit] https://x.com/MorePerfectUS/status/1937914652450492474
Every fucking day there is a massacre by gaza aid areas. Demonic entity
Fury as Glastonbury crowd chants ‘Death to the IDF!’ in scenes aired live on the BBC
Punk duo Bob Vylan led crowds in chants of ‘Free Palestine’ and ‘Death to the IDF’ on Saturday, prompting fury from supporters of Israel on social media.
The English group was streamed live by the BBC while performing directly before Irish language rap trio Kneecap, who the corporation refused to show live after controversial incidents including one of its members being charged with a terror offence.
The BBC previously confirmed it would not livestream Kneecap’s performance but would likely upload an edited version on iPlayer later - but if it hoped to avoid controversy over the war in Gaza bosses will be disappointed.
In the act just before Kneecap, singer/guitarist Bobby Vylan and drummer Bobbie Vylan, who founded their band in 2017 in Ipswich, flashed up a large message in support of Palestinians while their set was being broadcast live by the BBC.
Archived link, I went with the Daily Fail because I like seeing their pearl-clutching.
Current mood:
Nah but seriously a huge win! Congrats NYC!!!
